1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electrical connector, and particularly to a high speed electrical connector having an improved grounding bus.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
High speed connectors often include a grounding bus closely associated with signal terminals to promote high quality signal transmission therethrough. U.S. Pat. No. 5,536,179 discloses a conventional high speed connector, which comprises a dielectric housing, a module inserted in the housing which consists of a row of metal plates which is insert molded with an insulative body therearound, and two rows of signal contacts mounted respectively on opposite exterior sides of the insulative body. The insulative body usually forms a plurality of equally distanced dielectric ribs for isolating the signal contacts from each other. Each row of signal contacts is isolated from the other row by the insulative body and the metal plates, and signal contacts in the same row are isolated from each other by the dielectric ribs. With such a design, crosstalk between the two rows of the signal contacts is reduced by the insulative body and the metal plates, while crosstalk between the adjacent signal contacts of the same row cannot be effectively minimized merely by the dielectric ribs.
Hence, an improved electrical connector is required to overcome the disadvantage of the prior art.
A first object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector with an improved module which has a plurality of conductive projections located between adjacent signal terminals for minimizing crosstalk therebetween;
A second object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector with an improved module which has a plurality of dielectric ribs the length of which can be adjusted to match the impedance of the connector with the characteristic impedance of a circuit board on which the connector is mounted.
To achieve the above-mentioned objects, an electrical connector of the present invention includes a dielectric housing, a plurality of terminals, and a module.
The module includes a plurality of grounding members insert molded with an insulative body. A plurality of ribs is provided on a mounting surface of the insulative body. Each grounding member has a flat plate, a finger outwardly and downwardly extending from the flat plate, and a plurality of equally distanced projections protruding from the flat plate into the insulative body. The projections extend beyond the mounting surface of the insulative body and are embedded within corresponding ribs.
In assembly, the module is inserted downwardly into the housing and then the terminals are inserted upwardly to a position on the mounting surface of the insulative body of the module such that each terminal is positioned between neighboring ribs.
Since the insulative body is insert molded with the grounding members, its thickness can be minimized to enable the grounding members to be as close as possible to the terminals. The projections of the grounding members extend beyond the mounting surface of the insulative body to a position between the terminals, thereby significantly minimizing crosstalk between the terminals.
In addition, the ribs of the insulative body can be shortened during manufacturing so that the impedance of the connector can be adjusted to match the characteristic impedance of the circuit board on which the connector is mounted.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present embodiment when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.